Shackles of Gold
by pentopaperlover
Summary: Only the one born of snow and fire may diver beneath the lake of infirmity. Only the one with the soul of the old and pure of heat will live through the judgments guarding the pass. Noble blood shall contain the shackles if they be true and defeat the one of sin….. is Snow White the one?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one: Running Towards Fate**

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Evening

west portion of the Enchanted Forest

1oo miles from the castle

The girl ran.

Faster and faster she pushed herself; already losing any hind sight of direction on her moral compass. Her bare, small feet caught sideways on a snaggle root protruding from the forest floor. She fell. The forest becoming a hypotonic array of colors as the sky became the ground and the ground the sky. She bit her cheek, tasting blood, as she held in a yelp. Pushing her chopped and uneven nails into the earth's soil, she pushed herself up to her feet. Blood and dirt smeared across her face as she wiped her haggard brow.

_Yaowllllll_

Fear gripped her has she heard the bay of the hounds' bark behind her. She imagined their black, blood caked muzzles, their pointy red crimson eyes that could hold any grown man to the spot in which he stood, their razor trimmed claws that could shred a hapless victim and the teeth that could cut through a grown man's arm. She looked around her, but all she could see for miles and miles onward was tree after tree. It seemed the old Birchwood and Oaks shared in their own private joke as their arms danced in the wind, watching from knurled and hollowed sockets in their faces as she feel to their ploys.

"There she is!"

Snow's back went rigid with ice cold fear upon hearing the deep voice of Samuel, the captain of the guard. The man sat tall and proud on his chest-nut brown stallion. He led an assemblage of his most trusted warriors. She slid behind a tree just as she felt a breath of air pass by her cheek. A goes fletched arrow smacked home in the tree she had hid behind with a loud_ thump_. Flecks of auburn bark sprinkled onto the ground and bit into Snow's pale flesh like ants. She held her breathing, praying to the Lord her mother had so conveniently prayed to when she had dragged Snow to the alter every Sunday morning for mass.

"Kenneth, take your men and barricade us in. I do not want her slipping pass us!" Samuel, Captain of the queen's guards commanded in his grate like tone.

Samuel came down off his horse. His armored Solleret, a piece of armor that covered the knights' foot, rusted with battle field gore, crunched in the leaves. Snow peeked out from behind the tree she hid behind, taking in Samuel for the first time with her eyes instead of just hearing his voice.

He was a tall man, about eleven and a half hands-breadth high. His hair was pitch black and swept up past his ears in a military style cut. His skin was pale and unblemished with no pockmarks or scars visible on the flesh. He was a handsome man to be sure, the only thing that diminished his attention given to him by the ladies was the fact he did not have a left eye.

He had earned this causality when he was eighteen years old and serving the old king, by his father's side, in the army when the kingdom had went to war. Samuel, wanting to prove himself to his king and father had rode in with the front line, and in doing so, messed up the count for the attack sequencing killing a handful of men. And a foe's lance had flown through the mess, taking advantage and sliced opened Samuel's face. The punishment was his father banishing him from his name and the king, Snow's father was not a harsh man, but measure's had to be taken and de-ranked Samuel back to squire. He had been banished from his family, de-ranked, and lost his eye all in one day, and since then he had turned sour and vile taking pleasure in other's pain. And to take vengeance on all who made him look a fool he killed his father then betrayed the King, but he was not yet satisfied.

_One_

Snow breathed out and her mind whirled. She knew there was no way she would be able to run and outrun the men that surrounded her and the captain. She would be shot down with arrows if she dared tried. Not to kill her, no, but enough for her to fall and stumble, to make her legs unable to ever work again.

_Two_

Snow looked on the ground. The only choice she had was to fight. She knew how to fight, she was not some noble royalty who sat in a circle of ladies in waiting all day sewing until her fingers went numb, no she handled a needle, but it was a bigger and much larger needle. It had been a long time since she last handled any weapon and seeing how she did not have one now, she would have to make do.

_Three _

The raven haired girl picked up a rock by her feet. It was the size of both her hands and she had to use all her strength to lift it. It was jagged and cut, and, she knew, if she aimed just right, deadly.

_Fou-_

He was upon her.

Snow stepped back a few feet, raising the rock up, ready to charge. The captain smirked, and titled his head to one side his hollow eye hole a black void on his face. He charged at Snow his armored wrist guard swiping up at her. The force of his movement and the needle pointed spike came close to Snow's cheek, caused Snow to stumble back and land hard on the ground. She drew in breath in a sharp hiss as her back hit the ground. She was dazed.

"Come now princess," Samuel said as he leaned over her, his breath smelling faintly of red wine, "stop playing soldier and come home, back to your cage little bird. No harm will come to you, I promise."

"Over my dead body!" Snow spat.

"Fortunate for you, I have orders not to kill you, but," he said as he withdrew a small dagger from the sheath on his left leg, "no one will look to closely at a few scratches….a princess running in a forest….such a foolish thing…you'll hurt yourself!"

He swung down in a fast motion….and Snow thrusted her rock upwards deflecting the knife-edge. This bought her a few mere moments to roll on her side and up to her feet. She regained her balanced and controlled her breathing. All the lessons taught to her by her instructor coming back to her. The captain in his struggle dropped the dagger and Snow picked it up, this time causing the guard to be at the end of the cold metal.

The captain pulled out another blade, a short rapier hidden on his persons…then they danced.

Snow hurled herself forward and swung the sword upwards, the blade flashing in the evening purple lit dappled sun. The captain blocked and delivered a sideways blow: Steel clang against steel. Snow counted her paces, careful not slip on the forest ground. Samuel fought like a man living with only vengeance in every breath he took. Every swing was heavy and while controlled to an extent he reflected in his eyes he lusted for a taste of blood.

Samuel came at snow hoping to knock her to the ground and force the dagger away from her pale hands; he could see she was becoming tired from the perspiration that gathered on her hairline. Easily deflecting a faint blow, he chopped down at her legs. The swing was too tight in the course and swung past the intend mark, but snow was not fast enough. The blade cut a line in her cheek. Blood begin to trickle, red on white. Losing her footing she stumbled backwards. She was losing, she knew, as the captain begun to swing left and right, hard and heavy; it was taking everything she had to deflect, to stab outwards, and to dodge right and left.

The dagger spun out of her hand and he connected the blades. She was weaponless.

He laughed, "Seems I caught the little bird! I hope this, my dear, taught you a lesson. You are a doll and should be kept up on a shelf where you can cause no harm to you or others. Now come, your queen wishes to see you."

"She is not my queen," Snow said holding her chin up high," she is a vile woman and has no place on my father's throne. She killed my mother and then my father. She is a monster."

Samuel stuck her across her face. "Hold your tongue."

The slapped burned and snow glared and backed against the tree behind her. She knew she would have to go back, there was no escape now. How she wished she could be free from-

-the ground gave away. Snow went tumbling down into the ground. Past roots and muddy smelling soil she went. Then she stopped. Only she didn't really stop, but feel into a pool of water. Her tunic came up around her from the pressure and her vision went black. Her nose came clogged with water and from the sharp cold of the landing she let out a hiss of air, bubbles sprung up around her, tickling her.

The last thing she recalled while trying to swim upwards was her foot getting caught in something….something plant like…then realizing she was drowning.

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**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two: Underground We Go!**

Three hours latter

Underground network tunnels

West tunnel

_Where am I?_

Snow slowly pried her eyes open, wincing as gunk crusted her eyelashes together. Harsh, golden, heavy light penetrated her sight. Where she lay was quite, the only sound was a hollow familiar sound of water dripping onto the floor. Reopening her eyes once more, she slowly moved her hands behind her and pushed herself up in a sitting position. She winced as a sharp pain coursed through her ribs. Clutching her side, she looked around.

The light was coming from a candle, not just one but several. They were resting in hollow inlets in the cavern wall. These shelves, Snow observed, were handmade. The lining of the shelves were chipped and ragged as if hit over and over with a pick-axe. The swings must have been clumsy and the users unused to such a tool for the strikes in the rock were widely placed in the wall. The luminous light washed the cavern enough for Snow to see the room she was in and a little hallway that led more into the cave.

She lay on a bed constructed from ferns that laid tie down in bundles on yellow hay which sat upon a stone slab. Removing the red quilt from her body, Snow swung her legs over the bed, her cold feet resting in dusty soil on the ground. She had been redressed in a lose fitting, white tunic and her hair pinned back with a pin. She bit her lip, "The question is….are they dressing me up out of kindness or for another reason?"

The last thing she remembered was fighting with Samuel, the captain of the guard, besting her and going to take her back to her stepmother. Then, falling down a hole and splashing in water…and drowning.

She stood, and stumbled as a dizzy spell overcame her. She reached out and held tightly onto an edge of a table and took in deep breaths and focused on the contents placed before her. A clay bowl lay with dripless of water on the bottom and a yellow, sodden rag lay over the lip and draped on the table top. Herbs: mint, Myrrh, rose, lavender, sage, and bay lay in bushels. Some were in pestles and motors were lay a strewn with remits of herbs on the tip. Sweet smelling bottles also sat upon the table. Snow put a green vile down and, finally overcoming her light head.

On a silver tinted plate lay a roasted slab of vision and fruit and bread. The smell was smoky and sweet and made Snow's mouth water. She realized just how hungry she was…hungry enough to eat what was on the plate. She picked up the little red fruit and bit into it and squeaked at the taste. Red juice dripped down her chin and the fruit emitted a sweet but tang flavor. A faint memory came back to her. These were strawberries. An outlandish fruit her father once let her sample when it came the castle in a trade shipment. It had been a long time since she had sampled the red berry…_no, _she thought as she pulled some of the firm meat sprinkled with pepper and other spices and stuck it in her mouth, _it had been a long time she has had any real food_. The only thing served to her in her cell had been moldy and poor cooked food.

"I see you are awake child and in good health."

The Princess picked up a pestle. She intended to use it as a weapon. "Hurt me and I'll hurt you."

She turned. Who she spoke her threat to was an old man. He had a chiseled face despite the years he had lived; his eyes a deep blue like the ocean. He held a cane and was stooped over his liver splotched hands hidden slightly by long robed tunic that was tied tightly with a cord around the man's waist. He smiled, walked over to the princess, and picked up a book that lay upon a stool on the far left wall. He snapped it closed, leaned forward, and said with a smile, "I'm not going to hurt you, my dear Princess Snow. You are among friends here."

Snow blinked and lowered her weapon but didn't put it down," How do you know my name?"

"All in due time my dear. You tumbled and took a nasty fall. We had to fish you out!"

"we?"

The old man went on as if Snow didn't question him, "since you are up and about it seems we should do what we have been all waiting a long time for. No use in keeping the fates waiting any longer."

He started to hobble back to the entrance and Snow shook her head. The only man was senile, she conducted, a poor man who lived all alone in these caves. While she loved all the people in the kingdom and was not one to judge one person or the other, she could not help but feel sorry for this old man. Yet, she was thankful, but that as it may be she was not about to go walking through caves with the man.

"Sir," she began, "I am thankful you found me and nursed me back to health, and one day I shall reward you for you kind deed. But I simply can't just follow you. I do not know where I am, who you are, and the guards are after me, the queens' guards."

"I am aware. You do not know me, but I do know you. You are Snow White, princess and daughter of the deceased king and beloved Queen. You tried to escape when you were about fourteen years old to your uncle's manor, and you did not travel alone. You were traveling to build an army to overthrow the queen, your step mother. You were caught and imprisoned, shown only to the people to keep them in line. You are learned in history, mathematics, matters of state, weaponry, and are kindhearted and the symbol of your people, their hope. Then, on your eighteenth birthday, you escaped by chance, through the catacombs and to the forest…and now you're here. We have been waiting a long time for you. You will soon see why, but for now, I ask you to trust me. "

Snow looked at the man in astonished fear and curiosity. "I-"

She had no time to answer as a sound much like muffled shouts and clip clops of falling dirt in water interrupted her. The old man turned quickly, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. "Stay here, Princess Snow. " He ordered, and then left through the door in a hurry hobble.

Snow begun to follow him out the door but was halted in the process. The old man came back, a frightened and almost angry expression on his face. He went around the room and quickly extinguishing the wax light and hovered his waxy hands over the last candle.

"The Queen's guards have found the West tunnel entrance. We must keep quiet and low and escape. We will use the network channels to get to the main, central cavern. We will collapse the entrance. They must not find you. I know you do not understand but there is not time to explain now. I ask that you trust in me, Mistress Snow. I will explain all soon." He held out his withered hand.

Snow didn't see any other choice in the matter. She did not favor going back to Regina's hold. She summoned the courage that had lay deep within her soul for the past five years and grasped the man's hand.

The light went out and Snow begun her descent into the warrens…..

**Please review so I know if I should continue or not **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: collapse of understanding**

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Underground network system

West tunnel

Snow was pulled along by the old man as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnels. Snow had to squint her eyes to try and be able to see in the dark but it proved a fruitless effort as she seemed to stumble with every other step. From above or maybe it was behind her, she could not tell due to the vast hollowness and echoing of the caves, the Queen's men voices followed. They had not descended into the passageways yet, she knew this by the old man's muttering and from the crash like noise coming from dirt clumps hitting the floor with sound.

"If they are able to reach down here there is no way we would be able to hold them off," Snow said to herself as much as to the old man as he tugged none to gentle on her hand.

"Which is why they _won't _get down here," the man answered as he took a sharp left.

Snow white had all but lost the way back to the room in which she had awaked in. She had tried to keep up with how many turns they had taken and if they had been left or right but after so many it had been hard to keep track. She was completely lost and had handed her life to this crazy old man.

She knew, from lessons with her tutor her father had hired for her when she had begun her schooling, the caves around the Enchanted Forest were made out of Pladian Rock. A smooth, gray, and sturdy rock that was hard to penetrate through. She also knew she was not in a cave. She could tell from the fresh earthly smells that penetrated her nose. She was underground. And if she knew anything, the underground was inhabited by-

-Her thoughts were cut off and the old grandfather began to descend upward. Snow looked at surprise wondering how he was able to do so when she noticed wooden ladder rungs imbedded into the dirt. It went up a very high dirt wall…about thirty feet high. He pulled himself over the ledge and went away for a couple minutes leaving Snow alone. She looked around. She could not see anything but the glow pale of her own skin. She shook her head and put one foot on the rung and began to climb hand over hand. It was a hard effort that would have been easy was it not for the pain that clawed at her side.

She reached for the last tread, her hand wrapping around the spilt and warped wood, only for it to start to break away from the wall. She gasped as an eerie crack hung in the air. She tried in vain to reach up to the ledge, to grip it. All the time wondering where the old man had gone. She managed to grasp hold and her feet dangled. The rung feel away and onto the floor beneath her. She tried to quite her beating fast heart and tried to press her feet against the rung underneath her but it was too far. She cursed.

That's when she heard the men.

Their footsteps were like a young cavalry as they marched down the passage ways. A light washed over the earthly underground as Samuel, with his now bruised face held a lantern aloft. Snow held very still hoping that they would look right past her and miss her dangling form. She looked and counted at least twenty something men armed to the teeth. She cast her gaze back and locked eyes with the captain. He leered an evil smile.

"Bring her down."

Clawing at the dirt like a wild animal, Snow tried to reach to the top ledge. Using the tips of her small feet she tried to find grooves in which to push herself up. Her hands keep slipping away from the dirt as sweat made her hands slip and turned the dust on her palms to mud. The three years in the cage tower had made her upper body strength cesit to exist.

"Help!" she cried out looking around franticly for the old man, hoping that his old face would peer over the ledge and help her up.

She heard the draw back of a bow string then a sharp, hard thump on her shoulder blade. She crashed hard against the dirt wall. Stars danced in her eyes and a moan escaped her ruby lips. She risked a peek over her shoulder and saw, nauseatingly, an arrow shaft, a quarter of the way in, stuck in her shoulder blade.

More arrows flew, but these missed her. It was then, she realized with sick horror as she clutched the wooden rung tightly, they were meant to miss her. They were aiming close to her to knock her off balance, with her left arm now useless as blood ran down her back, she could easily drop and straight into a pack of wolves.

This was how she was to meet her end? By escaping from her towered prison she was meant to rot to death in and escaping to death she more or less invited on herself? She heard heavy breathing and looked down to see a heavy set man with a pig face making his way up the ladder. She kicked her foot at him as he wrapped meaty hands around her ankle. She hit his eye and he growled at her.

"Come here you little she-devil!" he howled pulling at her, making her drop down a rung.

"Princess!"

Snow looked up to see a young man with blonde hair and green eyes like jade peering down over the ledge. He wore a sloppy smile. In his hand was a sling. He stretched the cloth back and let fly a fist sized rock. It sailed and hit her assailant in the face. He yowled as he lost his balance and feel backwards and landed to the ground below. The youth laughed. Snow looked down to see his comrades had not even bothered trying to catch him and was now walking over him as he twitched and moaned. The young man reached a hand down and hauled Snow up and over the ledge. She came to look upon ten something dirty and ragged man and women.

Before she could even think of what to ask, the young man led her into a hollow like entrance and as she looked over her shoulder only to see Samuel making his way up the ladder and onto the ledge, his eyes glaring and vile, the world once again exploded around her.

When the dust settled she saw that a wall of dirt now blocked her entrance. She was now trapped which was the negative view…on the positive view the wall now kept the guards from coming through. She turned slowly around and faced the group who were now lining up in single file and going back down the way Snow supposed they had come. The youth who had saved her life beckoned her to follow; snow did, wearily, and made a surprised sound and glared as snow saw the older man standing in a corner. He smiled and gave a slight bow.

They walked for a couple minutes, snow –her shoulder blade now only throbbed lightly- and the group of dusty men and women, until they walked through an archway made of stone and out into a magnicfent view. Snow stopped and gazed in wonder at what she could only call an underground city.

Laid out as far as she could see were earthen ruins. It was separated into the vast sections and from what could Snow could see each was sealed off by wide doors that could be closed with pulleys, rope, and cogs. Each building was constructed out of mud and sticks and hay and was much like the outside world as they were homes, wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels.

The people, men, women and children were dressed in very used garments of suites, tunics, trousers, and home spun dresses. Their skin was dusted with grim and dirt. Most of the men sported bandages. It seemed each were too busy to pay mind to the group that entered the city as they rushed by without pause, some with loads in their arms and others conversing with someone or other. Shoppers stood outside their shops calling for people to buy from them. Workers were hauling baskets up with rope to the upper levels, and boys were rushing up and down stairs fast as they could. The walls held shafts that snow could hear rushing water running down them and into a man-made lake in the center of the plaza.

"What is this place?" she breathed in wonder, taking it all in.

"Welcome, my dear to the resistance. We are rebels. A group of men, women, and children who dream of a better kingdom. We're fighting a battle to avenge your father and mother the late queen. We have all been taken down by Regina in some way shape or form and now we are fighting back. We have been waiting centuries for you, my dear, dear Snow White. "The old man said as he came to stand in front of her.

It seemed with the old man appearing all the rebels of the city stopped working and finally took notice of the group and they came to gather around. Snow felt small under all their gazes and felt smoldering under their mutters and shouts of excitement and their pointing.

Snow shook her head. She had heard of these revolutionaries. They raised protest against the queen, ambushed her men in the forest, ripped down signs of taxes and other hurtful news directed to the people, they distracted by setting fire to Regina's stations for her men, and so on and so forth. But one thing they did was never kill. Regina made an example of such rebels by flogging them in the court yard, tying them up, and pulling out their beating hearts. Snow had remembered hearing their screams of rage from her chamber in the tower. She had always dreamed of meeting these famed souls of running away and joining. It seemed her whish had come true, but was it what she wanted?

Of course.

"I don't understand. What do you mean waiting for me for centuries? I am more than happy to help take down my stepmother and shall help in any way I can, even facing her myself and imprisoning her so she may never harm again."

The grandfather smiled and beckoned her forward and to the left of him and pointed. Snow looked up and gasped in wonder it seemed for the hundredth time that day. There on the wall was a mural of fresco paint…and the women on the wall looked like snow white herself.

"Because my dear…you're the prophecy. We've been waiting for you; you're destined for more than a mere rebel band. You're destined to bring an end to Regina and black magic: Permanently."

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**Thank you for those that have followed or favored my story. Please review….so I know what you all think or if I should continue or not…please and thank you...**


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